To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912
INSIDE
Nick Young hits buzzer beater to beat Oregon State, 72-70, in overtime. 12
.dailytrojan.com
January 27, 2006
Students stage speech protests College
grads
i rojan in response to a I ~ :i 111 •
canceled performance. I B I . .-I. • ' I i I ( 1\ IKISI (‘
Two separate protests occurred around Tommy Trojan in response to a
INDEX
Dancers at Hollywood's Key Club celebrate Carnival: Choreographers' Ball •
Elspeth Keller explores why we go back to our exes. 4
New* Digest—2 Lifestyle— Upcoming__________6 CUSfcifiedt..
Opinions--------Sports--------------
12
WEATHER
Today: Mostly Sunny. High 64, low 45.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy.
New poetiy faculty members highlight creative diversity
The new English professors read some of their recent work at an event Wednesday.
By CINDY SANTOS
Stiff Writer
Two critically acclaimed poets and writers in the English department treated l/SC students and facility to a reception and literature reading Wednesday at Doheny Library.
Mananne Wiggins and Mark Irwin, both recently appointed as faculty poets, were a part of “New Poets of Troy" and read excerpts from their recently published works.
Wiggins, who is also a novelist joined the USC faculty in fall 2005. read from her bestselling novel, “Evidence of Things Unseen." which centers on a couple at the dawn of the Atomic Age. The book was nominated for a Pulitzer Pnze and National Book Award in 2004.
I see Poetry page 7 I
Vol. CXLVIII, No. 12
skills
A study reveals that 20 percent of four-year college graduates lack ‘basic quantitative literacy.'
By KAELYN F0RDE ECKENRODE
Staff Writer
Think all of your college-educated peers can add up their own grocery bills or determine if they’ll make it to the next gas station with what’s left in their tank? Think again.
A study published this month by the American Institutes for Research shows that an alarming 20 percent of college graduates from four-year public and private U.S. colleges and universities have only “basic quantitative literacy," meaning that they lack the competency to perform the basic tasks mentioned above.
The National Survey of America's College Students spanned five years and included 1.827 college seniors from 80 institutions.
The results even troubled researchers who had long suspected there was a problem, Larry Quiflan, a spokesman for AIR, said.
“As a human being in this country, it is very disturbing," said Quillan. “A college degree no longer means that the graduate possesses these fundamental skills.”
“These numbers speak with authority. With a degree from a university, you’d like to assume a graduate has a basic level of competency, but that is not the case." Quillan said.
Percentages were even higher for two-year colleges, where 30 percent of graduates possessed only basic I see Grads page 7 1
By JAMES R. K0REN and SETH MEYER
Staff Writers
Protest. Members of Program Board and Student Senate hold up signs Thursday in response to a lone student's similar protest that was shut down by the Department of Public Safety. This protest was allowed to continue.
Students, university administrators and the Department of Public Safety clashed at Tommy Trojan Thursday during two protests over freedom of speech issues stemming from the cancellation of a Gender and Sexuality Week event Monday.
At 12:15 p.m., DPS officers briefly detained Brian Kekich, a junior majoring in German and cinema-television critical studies, in Hahn Plaza for holding up a sign with an obscene word written on it Eddie Marquez, assistant director of Topping Student Center, had asked Kekich to put the sign down and called DPS when Kekich refused.
Marquez and officers at the scene declined to commenL
Kekich held a 4-foot sign near Tommy Trojan that said “f—” to protest administrative actions taken Monday that shut down George Weiss Vando's performance of “Man Lady” for the use of the phrase "motherf-—
At 1:45 p.m., Matt Basco, Program Board executive director, and five other students involved with Senate and Program Board, began their own protest in response to DPS’ actions.
This second group of protesters had their own signs, also using variances of
When DPS officer Bryan Hunt arrived at Tommy Trojan, he asked the students to lower their signs. They refused and an argument continued until Lori White, associate vice president of Student Affairs, stepped in.
White, the two DPS officers at the scene, Marquez and Denzil Suite, assistant vice president of Student Affairs, had a brief conversation away from the group. White then came back to the protesters to tell them they were welcome to continue their protesL
While the second situation was ultimately resolved amicably, Kekich and other students at the initial protest said
they worried about administration halting free speech, especially in a university setting.
"This is a free-speech zone," Kekich said “I was here last year when (Vando) was here. He used the same word, motherf-—,’ several times, there wasn’t a problem, and I don’t see why there should be this year."
Kekich also said the free speech
zone has been host to offensive speakers in the past, including a same-sex marriage opponent who Kekich said had a sign reading. “Homo Sex is a Sin."
“I think he should be allowed to stay, to spread his small-minded ideas because some day, someone will think what I have to say is wrong-headed, and I’d like to be able to speak my mind then too,” Kekich said.
Kekich added, "It's a word. That’s all it is. I’m not saying T—’ to a certain person, I’m not saying ’f— the government,’ I’m not saying f— USC.’ It's a word" Andrea Davidowitz, a freshman majoring in theater, was walking through campus when she noticed Kekich's sign.
“His point was obviously to get a
I see Speech page 3
Waxing poetic. Mananne Wiggins is one of two new faculty members to jom USC s English department. Wiggins novel, ‘Evidence of Things Unseen." was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize

Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912
INSIDE
Nick Young hits buzzer beater to beat Oregon State, 72-70, in overtime. 12
.dailytrojan.com
January 27, 2006
Students stage speech protests College
grads
i rojan in response to a I ~ :i 111 •
canceled performance. I B I . .-I. • ' I i I ( 1\ IKISI (‘
Two separate protests occurred around Tommy Trojan in response to a
INDEX
Dancers at Hollywood's Key Club celebrate Carnival: Choreographers' Ball •
Elspeth Keller explores why we go back to our exes. 4
New* Digest—2 Lifestyle— Upcoming__________6 CUSfcifiedt..
Opinions--------Sports--------------
12
WEATHER
Today: Mostly Sunny. High 64, low 45.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy.
New poetiy faculty members highlight creative diversity
The new English professors read some of their recent work at an event Wednesday.
By CINDY SANTOS
Stiff Writer
Two critically acclaimed poets and writers in the English department treated l/SC students and facility to a reception and literature reading Wednesday at Doheny Library.
Mananne Wiggins and Mark Irwin, both recently appointed as faculty poets, were a part of “New Poets of Troy" and read excerpts from their recently published works.
Wiggins, who is also a novelist joined the USC faculty in fall 2005. read from her bestselling novel, “Evidence of Things Unseen." which centers on a couple at the dawn of the Atomic Age. The book was nominated for a Pulitzer Pnze and National Book Award in 2004.
I see Poetry page 7 I
Vol. CXLVIII, No. 12
skills
A study reveals that 20 percent of four-year college graduates lack ‘basic quantitative literacy.'
By KAELYN F0RDE ECKENRODE
Staff Writer
Think all of your college-educated peers can add up their own grocery bills or determine if they’ll make it to the next gas station with what’s left in their tank? Think again.
A study published this month by the American Institutes for Research shows that an alarming 20 percent of college graduates from four-year public and private U.S. colleges and universities have only “basic quantitative literacy," meaning that they lack the competency to perform the basic tasks mentioned above.
The National Survey of America's College Students spanned five years and included 1.827 college seniors from 80 institutions.
The results even troubled researchers who had long suspected there was a problem, Larry Quiflan, a spokesman for AIR, said.
“As a human being in this country, it is very disturbing," said Quillan. “A college degree no longer means that the graduate possesses these fundamental skills.”
“These numbers speak with authority. With a degree from a university, you’d like to assume a graduate has a basic level of competency, but that is not the case." Quillan said.
Percentages were even higher for two-year colleges, where 30 percent of graduates possessed only basic I see Grads page 7 1
By JAMES R. K0REN and SETH MEYER
Staff Writers
Protest. Members of Program Board and Student Senate hold up signs Thursday in response to a lone student's similar protest that was shut down by the Department of Public Safety. This protest was allowed to continue.
Students, university administrators and the Department of Public Safety clashed at Tommy Trojan Thursday during two protests over freedom of speech issues stemming from the cancellation of a Gender and Sexuality Week event Monday.
At 12:15 p.m., DPS officers briefly detained Brian Kekich, a junior majoring in German and cinema-television critical studies, in Hahn Plaza for holding up a sign with an obscene word written on it Eddie Marquez, assistant director of Topping Student Center, had asked Kekich to put the sign down and called DPS when Kekich refused.
Marquez and officers at the scene declined to commenL
Kekich held a 4-foot sign near Tommy Trojan that said “f—” to protest administrative actions taken Monday that shut down George Weiss Vando's performance of “Man Lady” for the use of the phrase "motherf-—
At 1:45 p.m., Matt Basco, Program Board executive director, and five other students involved with Senate and Program Board, began their own protest in response to DPS’ actions.
This second group of protesters had their own signs, also using variances of
When DPS officer Bryan Hunt arrived at Tommy Trojan, he asked the students to lower their signs. They refused and an argument continued until Lori White, associate vice president of Student Affairs, stepped in.
White, the two DPS officers at the scene, Marquez and Denzil Suite, assistant vice president of Student Affairs, had a brief conversation away from the group. White then came back to the protesters to tell them they were welcome to continue their protesL
While the second situation was ultimately resolved amicably, Kekich and other students at the initial protest said
they worried about administration halting free speech, especially in a university setting.
"This is a free-speech zone," Kekich said “I was here last year when (Vando) was here. He used the same word, motherf-—,’ several times, there wasn’t a problem, and I don’t see why there should be this year."
Kekich also said the free speech
zone has been host to offensive speakers in the past, including a same-sex marriage opponent who Kekich said had a sign reading. “Homo Sex is a Sin."
“I think he should be allowed to stay, to spread his small-minded ideas because some day, someone will think what I have to say is wrong-headed, and I’d like to be able to speak my mind then too,” Kekich said.
Kekich added, "It's a word. That’s all it is. I’m not saying T—’ to a certain person, I’m not saying ’f— the government,’ I’m not saying f— USC.’ It's a word" Andrea Davidowitz, a freshman majoring in theater, was walking through campus when she noticed Kekich's sign.
“His point was obviously to get a
I see Speech page 3
Waxing poetic. Mananne Wiggins is one of two new faculty members to jom USC s English department. Wiggins novel, ‘Evidence of Things Unseen." was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize